Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
By Randall C. Resch
Sometimes there aren’t visual pre-signs to violence. When there’s no pre-warning that an awaiting customer experiences meltdown, it’s easy to miss outward signs when assessing a potential, violent interaction. If faced by an overbearing lunatic with an aggressive attitude, what would your response be to avoid an unwanted attack?
Our work oftentimes leads to violence. One-hundred eighty-eight recorded, violent acts against tow personnel, repo agents and operators date to the 1920’s, and help to illustrate that people have been on-edge for a host of issues, including drug use, politics, religion, war, loss of work, finances, even divorce and soured relationships.
The slightest act of “disrespect” can turn calm interactions into a full-blown fracas. Be aware that Ken’s and Karen’s are those customers and motorists you deal with every day. For towers and tow office personnel alike: How might a stranger’s aggressive irritation affect you?
Unleashing Violence
Take into consideration the “Flight or Fight Syndrome.” Are you smart enough to “de-escalate” potentially violent situations? After reading “tough guy” remarks on tow forums regarding this topic, I’m not so sure towers understand the importance of “de-escalation.” Will you react with calmly or initiate a level of violence that could get you jailed, or, worse yet, get you killed?
While some acts are unprovoked, stressed, agitated, even “normal individuals” can react with violence. To illustrate that point, consider two, tow related incidents.
Scenario One: February 5, 2020, 42-year-old, Trooper Joseph Bullock, Air Force veteran and 19-year veteran of Florida’s Highway Patrol, stopped to check on a stopped motorist near Palm City. Determining the motorist needed a tow, Trooper Bullock requested a tow truck to his location.
As the operator loaded the disabled vehicle, an argument reportedly ensued over the price to tow. Angered at his inability to pay, the motorist, without indication, walked to the trooper’s police cruiser and shot Trooper Bullock in the head. The shooter then attempted to kill the tower as he ran from danger. Luckily for the tower, the gun jammed furthering his escape.
An off-duty detective (from another agency) witnessed the exchange only to insert himself into the gunfight, firing multiple rounds at the shooter. Although one round struck the shooter in the chest, the shooter took the coward’s way out with a single shot to the head.
Scenario Two: Near, Oceanside, California, May 2002, 23-year-old, Bryan Naylor, a Freeway Service Patrol operator, noticed a lone Cadillac stopped in the shoulder of southbound I-5 near Marine Corps Station, Camp Pendleton. Because assisting is an FSP duty, Naylor approached the motorist to inquire about the car’s problem.
Asking if he needed assistance, Naylor recognized the male’s irritated demeanor, simply advising him it was unsafe to be stopped on the highway’s shoulder. As Naylor returned to his truck, the motorist fired multiple shots dropping Naylor to the pavement.
The shooter fled afoot’ crossing the highway’s eight-lanes, jumping the fence onto Camp Pendleton. A passing Marine who witnessed the fracas, pulled Naylor to safety. Long story short, the FSP operator survived with the shooter being subsequently killed by Oceanside and Marine Corp police. Note: The CHP reported, “There was no altercation.”
Ladder of De-Escalation
Not to suggest these towers did anything to provoke an attack, it’s a reality true for repo agents and tow operators. There’s a proved “thin, fine line” referring to inherent dangers of simply conducting business. Because of known undue violence against tow and repo personnel, knowing (and practicing) “how-to counteract” is the first rule of engaging customers and vehicle owners. A tower’s aggressive response, accompanied by puffing up, may be the catalyst that incites anger and violence.
“De-escalation” isn’t typically taught to tow and repo personnel in which simple, polite, customer interaction could be the saving grace that avoids violence. Tow owners take note, especially if your company conducts repos and PPI’s. Topic specific training is necessary!
Knowing that towers and repo agents are from tough stock, “backing down” oftentimes creates escalation of violence. In a nutshell, learn how-to avoid escalation! When towers are emotional and become aggressive, the angry instigator declares victory when towers are sucked into their agitation. Remember; calm heads prevail! Eight ladder-steps of escalation to avoid are:
1. Irritation
2. Frustration
3. Disrespect
4. Anger
5. Defensiveness
6. Aggression
7. Threats of Violence
8. Violence
Handle it Proper
Knowing (and practicing) steps to de-escalation is a requirement for individual safety. Ask yourself, “Do my on-scene actions promote violence?” It doesn’t require a psychology degree to practice de-escalation techniques, simply because “It takes two ta’ tango.”
The ability to de-escalate should be in the forefront of every tow professional’s bag of tricks. Sometimes, backing down isn’t an act of weakness, but a lifesaving choice.
To stimulate in-house training and discussion, watch, American Towman TV’s, Emily Oz, feature a short video introducing the importance of “De-Escalation.” Watch it, apply it. Scroll to the Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIkbq_-mhPw n
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Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 55-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 28-years, he has contributed more than 760-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2025
By Brian J Riker
With the recent discussions surrounding non-domiciled CDL drivers and English language proficiency, now is a good time to ask, are your drivers qualified?
It is increasingly difficult to hire drivers let alone good drivers. Few people seem to want to respond to calls at all hours of the day or night in all weather conditions. Many employers may be tempted to look the other way for minor things when hiring just to fill the position.
As an industry we have a bunch of criteria to meet to say someone is qualified. Besides the towing specific training and qualifications that many police agencies require (criminal check, formal training, city or county license, etc) we also have a duty to ensure the driver is legally qualified to operate the vehicle we assign to them. I will focus on those qualifications as they are governed mostly by 49 CFR Part 391, although there are a few states with unique additional requirements such as New York, which requires a tow truck endorsement on their driver license, even for trucks that would not require a commercial driver license in most other states.
The basic driver qualifications are quite simple and apply to anyone that is engaging in interstate commerce, as well as most intrastate drivers since only a few states exclude light duty trucks from these rules when operated solely intrastate. To err on the side of caution, if you use these federal regulations as a base line, your drivers will always be qualified.
If you operate an interstate commercial motor vehicle, which is any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating, or actual weight, greater than 10,000 pounds, then your drivers are subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as below:
-- Must be 21 years of age or older to engage in interstate commerce
-- Must be medically qualified by a DOT approved examiner
-- Must possess a valid driver license for the appropriate vehicle class
-- Can by experience, training or both safely operate the vehicle
-- Interstate commerce drivers (with or without a CDL) must be able to read, write and communicate in English in a manner sufficient to respond to official inquiries, read road signs, converse with the general public and make entries on official reports
To ensure you only hire qualified drivers, the FMCSA requires you, as an employer, to obtain a written application for employment that lists all their previous employers for the last 10 years. This application has specific content and wording requirements that must be met for it to be valid. You are required to investigate the last three years of employment history, including making written inquires to all DOT related employers regarding the driver’s safety performance history and controlled substance testing history.
All commercial drivers are required to self-certify their driving history during the application process and you as the employer must verify the accuracy of their certification by obtaining a driver license abstract from their licensing state, and any state(s) they have held a driver’s license in during the previous three years. You must then obtain a new license check annually, or if the driver has a CDL at least annually and within 15 days of whenever they obtain a new medical certification.
It is a requirement to perform a pre-employment road test in the same type of vehicle they will be regularly operating. There are some exceptions to this for experienced drivers, although I would never recommend hiring someone you have not road tested. The road test must evaluate specific skills including, but not limited to, backing, highway driving, coupling/uncoupling of combination vehicles, pre-trip inspection and basic control skills like parking.
If you are hiring a CDL driver you must not only have a negative pre-employment DOT drug test result prior to allowing them to drive, you also must have a full query of the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse that shows they are “not prohibited.” This is critical because if they are “prohibited,” it means they have failed a DOT drug test and are not legal to drive any commercial vehicle, even non-CDL required vehicles.
Pro-tip – When hiring someone that has had a CDL or commercial learner’s permit within the previous three years, you should also conduct a full query of them in the Clearinghouse. I have found many applicants with CDL experience looking to “take it easy” and only drive non-cdl trucks. Then, when I query the Clearinghouse, they are found to be “prohibited” and were just trying to get around the failed drug test until it drops off their record in five years. This can leave you in a bad spot as an employer if you hire them and allow them to drive your trucks while prohibited.
As the motor carrier you must maintain copies of all this information in a driver qualification file and retain the file for three years after the termination of employment so that you can prove the driver is/was qualified and can properly respond to any inquiries you receive by other motor carriers looking to hire your former driver.
In summary, proper investigation and skills assessment prior to hiring combined with regular evaluation and corrective action, when necessary, will help ensure you have qualified drivers operating your company equipment.
Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
By Randall C. Resch
Speed and convenience shouldn’t be the deciding factor in attacking any recovery. When speed goes up, safety goes down! For recoveries that are accessible, I choose conventional winching techniques for total control and mitigating risk.
I watched two tow operators, three intoxicated males and a 4x4 owner laughingly attempt to extract a Ram pickup from an infamous bog on San Diego’s Fiesta Island. Where the 4x4 was situated, a pile of recovery chain, J-hooks, a kinetic rope, farm jack, two lengths of 4x4 lumber, and another busted looped-end strap lay coated with the island’s brackish mud.
Aside from all participants scratching their heads, it was apparent no one knew what they were doing. Like a group of circus performers, the more they worked to un-stick the stuck truck, the more stuck it became.
If you know anything about monkeys and footballs, this rescue attempt was about to become deadly until my police car (and I) happened onto the scene, only to interrupt and stop their actions. Making no progress, they decided a looped strap around the truck’s trailer ball was the next step to an already comical recovery. Nope, not on my watch!
Are You Kidding Me?
As this reckless act was about to unfold, all participants, including both operators, were untrained in recovery procedures and lacked the essential safety mindset. Additionally, there was a clear absence of common sense and adherence to proper industry techniques.
The internet is full of fatality examples where off-road enthusiasts get severely injured or killed when attempting to extract vehicles by not using the proper (and safe) attachment techniques. Let this mini narrative serve as a reminder and safety warning that using a snatch rope or kinetic strap in this manner is a deadly practice.
Mechanical integrity refers to the trailer ball's 'shaft,' which is attached to a frame-mounted hitch. Over time, this shaft can corrode or weaken due to the use of low-quality pot metals in the manufacturing of threaded shafts, which deteriorate with age.
Because some towers (by nature) are lazy or don’t want to get wet or muddy, they oftentimes bypass safety for simplicity. Unfortunately, simplicity relates to deadly consequences, especially when operators loop kinetic ropes or straps around trailer balls. So, towers, when a trailer ball’s shaft snaps under an extreme jerk, where do ya’ think that projectible is headed?
Who’s the Boss
In all recoveries large and small, there should be only one recovery boss. When too many cooks fill the kitchen, you know what happens. Typically, the most experienced person should direct difficult recoveries, but sometimes that individual lacks experience. This is true to towers having too much ego, or military rank, if said recovery occurs in a military environment.
Rumor says that international recovery teams from the world famous “Camel Cup Races” would discuss recovery strategy over a cup of tea before race car recovery began. This recommended practice was passed amongst participants, as a means of tossing recovery ideas around, so to arrive at a solid plan. Because wading into challenging recoveries without solid planning could likely get someone injured or killed, proper planning was paramount.
And as a reminder to “off-road experts,” so-called “internet influencers,” and tow operators hurrying to extract vehicles, if you’re too lazy to do things right, there’s a likelihood you could injure yourself or others when extreme pull begins. Recovery safety isn’t about likes and followers!
Minimizing Risk
The best recovery plans include using equipment and accessories that minimize recovery risk that’s associated with critical pull. Recovery is only as safe as the operator behind what knowledge they’re working, to avoid inflicting extreme forces against the equipment’s safe working load limits (SWLL).
Although using kinetic rope is a “go to” item of preferred equipment, attaching looped ends to soft shackles in association with draped line brakes, tossing a blanket over kinetic ropes or winch lines help prevent unintended recoil. Don’t trust equipment integrity should the recovery item snap, rip, pull through, or detach from attached locations.
When extracting mired or rolled vehicles, I prefer winching versus “janking” casualties via brute force of acceleration and kinetic energy. As a civilian recovery specialist for the Navy, we practice a solid safety mindset that using proper winch techniques as intended allows recovery operators to enlist their senses. It’s smart to hear, see and feel processes and progress realized through calculated recovery.
Successful and safe recoveries are controlled! It’s my recommendation that using kinetic straps only initiates when access to casualty vehicles is limited, the only accessory available, or, in the military sense, for conducting “Hasty Tow” used in hostile territory.
The off-road community and tow (recovery) industry have accepted looped-end straps as an alternative to winching. Ultimately, it’s up to operators and enthusiasts to choose what techniques and equipment provide safety value specific to recovery scenes. What rings true to recovery is the old ditty “Slow and steady wins the race.” _________________________________________________
Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 55-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 28-years, he has contributed more than 760-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.
